Category Archives: Skin Sensitivity

An overall reactivity to PPD of 34 percent in a group of mainly 16- to 20-year-old students living in a rural area is an indication of the known high tuberculosis prevalence in the PRC. Thus, inclusion of this antigen provided the study with a good positive control that implied grossly normal cell-mediated immunity at least concerning the capacity to mount a delayed hypersensitivity skin reaction in the test population. It is clear that PPD should be included in the larger skin test survey as a positive control and for comparison purposes with reactivity to histolyn and spherulin as well. asthma inhalers
The skin test results did not justify collection of soil for culture. In the larger survey, if areas of higher skin sensitivity are found, then soil sampling and culturing for fungi will be done.

This report represents a pilot study of skin sensitivity to histolyn and spherulin in a small area of the PRC and supports the feasibility of doing a large-scale survey in several areas of the PRC. To our knowledge, no information exists concerning the presence or absence of infection with H capsulatum var capsulatum and C immitis in the PRC. Such a large-scale study would provide critical data concerning this question. buy prednisone
The nine reactors of 101 subjects tested with histolyn represent a low order of sensitivity, an impression supported both by the small size of the skin reactions and the absence of specific antibodies in the serum samples of the six positive reactors so examined. These results do support the possibility that areas of higher incidence of infection may exist in the PRC. If this proves to be the case, histoplasmosis must be considered more seriously in the differential diagnoses of appropriate clinical and radiologic syndromes.

One hundred nine subjects presented themselves for testing. Seven were rejected because of a current illness, including skin diseases. One subject did not return for reading of his skin tests; thus, the results on 101 subjects were available for analysis. The age and gender of the 101 subjects tested and examined at 48 hours are noted in Table 1. The concentration of subjects between ages 16 and 20 years (87) reflects the mainly student population studied. The predominance of women tested is a reflection of the nature of the student population. buy antibiotics online
The results of the skin testing are noted in Table 2. There were nine positive reactors to histolyn and two positive reactors to spherulin (one of whom was alsopositive to histolyn and tubersol). Most of these reactors were young with no predilection for either gender, in the case of histolyn. The two spherulin reactors were women. There were 34 positive reactions to tubersol, including both students and all nine subjects older than 22 years of age.

The subjects tested were mainly students at a school for medical assistants; their ages ranged from 16 years to the mid-20s. A few older physicians and nurses who were involved with the projects were also tested. Information collected on all subjects tested included age, sex, place of residence, occupation (all were either students or medical staff), and the length of time that each subject had lived in the area. buy antibiotics online
Skin testing was done by one of us (G.L.B.) (the fungal antigens) and two nurses who administered the tubersol and, on one occasion, the spherulin. The same physician (G.L.B.) supervised all antigen administration.

Intradermal skin testing with 0.1 ml of standard antigens was performed on the volar surface of the two forearms. The antigens used were histolyn and spherulin (Berkeley Biologicals, Berkeley, Calif) and tubersol (PPD 5 tuberculin units, Connaught Laboratories, Swiftwater, Pa). Tests were applied with new disposable plastic 1.0-ml syringes with a fresh sterile 25-gauge needle used on each subject. The tubersol was placed on the left arm and the two fungal antigens were placed on the right arm. These tests were read in 48 hours and two perpendicular diameters of induration were recorded. Any reaction to any of the antigens of 5.0 mm in either diameter was considered positive. buy prednisone

The worldwide distribution of infection with His-toplasma capsulatum var capsulatum and Coccid-ioides immitis in the Americas has been reported, but in a focal manner,’ leaving gaps in our knowledge of the prevalence of these infections in large population centers. Information on this subject concerning the People s Republic of China (PRC) has been fragmentary, consisting mainly of isolated instances of cases of histoplasmosis being diagnosed by physicians in a few areas of the country (personal communication from Professor Liao Wan-Qing, Chief, Laboratory of Medical Mycology, Chang Zheng Hospital, Shanghai, PRC).